Antitrust regulators scrutinize Microsoft-Activision mega deal.
Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Faces Another Hurdle
(Reuters) – Microsoft Corp’s $69 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard faced another hurdle on Tuesday after a U.S. judge granted a request by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to temporarily block the deal.
The acquisition has attracted scrutiny from several antitrust enforcers, including Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), over concerns it would hinder competition in the nascent cloud gaming market.
If not for the court order, Microsoft could have closed the deal as early as Friday.
Key Events in the Microsoft-Activision Saga
- Jan 18, 2022: Microsoft says it is buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion
- Feb 1, 2022: Bloomberg News reports that FTC would handle the review of the deal
- March 21, 2022: FTC has sought additional data from Activision and Microsoft related to the antitrust review of their deal, the game developer says
- April 28, 2022: Activision Blizzard shareholders approve Microsoft’s proposal to buy the “Call of Duty” maker
- July 6, 2022: Britain’s antitrust watchdog starts an investigation into the deal
- Sept 1, 2022: Britain’s antitrust regulator says the deal could harm competition in gaming consoles, subscription services and cloud gaming, and it needs to be investigated in depth
- Sept 7, 2022: Sony Group Corp says the offer by Microsoft to keep the “Call of Duty” series on PlayStation for a limited time is “inadequate”
- Sept 15, 2022: Britain’s antitrust watchdog says it would launch an in-depth probe into the deal
- Sept 30, 2022: EU antitrust regulators set Nov. 8 deadline to decide on the deal
- Oct 12, 2022: Microsoft says Britain’s competition regulator had relied on objections from Sony in referring the deal to an in-depth inquiry
- Dec 8, 2022: The Biden administration moves to block Microsoft-Activision deal
- Dec 22, 2022: Microsoft says the deal would benefit gamers and gaming companies
- Feb 8, 2023: Britain takes aim at the deal, saying it could harm gamers by weakening the rivalry between Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation
- Feb 21, 2023: Microsoft strikes 10-year deal to bring “Call of Duty” and other Activision games to Nvidia Corp’s gaming platform
- March 1, 2023: EU regulators extend the deadline for the deal to April 25
- March 8, 2023: Microsoft tells UK it will license “Call of Duty” to Sony for 10 years
- March 28, 2023: Japan’s antitrust watchdog says the deal will not harm competition
- April 26, 2023: UK blocks Microsoft-Activision deal over cloud gaming concerns
- May 15, 2023: Microsoft wins EU antitrust approval for the deal
- May 24, 2023: Microsoft appeals against UK block on the deal
- June 12, 2023: US FTC asks court to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision
- June 13, 2023: A U.S. judge grants FTC’s request to temporarily block the acquisition and set a hearing next week
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